My First Metric Century

No dedicated lanes but not many cars either!

When it comes to long distance rides, I've had several milestones.  Some were quite modest, like my first 10 or 20 km ride.  As my ability to ride further increased, I've been making sure to update them.  This August I was able to cross one major milestone off my list, the first 100 km ride.  Its also known as a metric century ride.

Pulling it off took three things.  Training, Preparation and Persistence:

Askew Picture brought to you by my Action Cam!

Training: I started off doing small rides many times a week.  One long ride (followed by a recovery ride), 2 moderate rides, an easy ride and 2 days off.  Sounds pretty intense!  But things don't always go as planned; I try to avoid to ride in rain and sometimes life has other appointments and plans for me.  Still, trying to stick to five days means you'll end up there 3-6 times a week.  And each week you increase distances (more for the long ride but you should gradually increase them all).

Section of the Waterfront Trail

Preparation: This includes checking out the bike (tire pressure, wheel trueness, brakes, etc.), preparing enough nutrition (Gels, energy bars/drinks, lots of water), making sure electronics have enough power for the ride, making sure you can deal with most repairs and careful route planning.  And of course, have a "Plan B" and a "Plan C" should things go south.  I also try to bring a small, personal first aid kit.

My coach checking up on me!

Persistence: I was pretty enthusiastic when I started the ride.  After about halfway point I started having problems with my derailleurs and my chain slipping.  It was really tempting to abort the ride right then and there.  But I ended up sticking to the plan and I came out on top.

I find my success to be empowering and encouraging.  After all, once you do 100 km's, what's another 60 or 100?  Well, only one way to find out!